Fuel cells have been used as a power source in many applications. For example, fuel cells have been proposed for use in electrical vehicular power plants to replace internal combustion engines. In proton exchange membrane (PEM)-type fuel cells, hydrogen is supplied to the anode of the fuel cell and oxygen is supplied as the oxidant to the cathode. PEM fuel cells include a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) comprising a thin, proton transmissive, non-electrically conductive solid polymer electrolyte membrane having the anode catalyst on one of its faces and the cathode catalyst on the opposite face. The MEA is sandwiched between a pair of electrically conductive elements, sometimes referred to as the gas diffusion media components, that: (1) serve as current collectors for the anode and cathode; (2) contain appropriate openings therein for distributing the fuel cell's gaseous reactants over the surfaces of the respective anode and cathode catalysts; (3) remove product water vapor or liquid water from electrode to flow field channels; (4) are thermally conductive for heat rejection; and (5) have mechanical strength. The term fuel cell is typically used to refer to either a single cell or a plurality of cells (e.g., a stack) depending on the context. A plurality of individual cells are commonly bundled together to form a fuel cell stack and are commonly arranged in series. Each cell within the stack comprises the MEA described earlier, and each such MEA provides its increment of voltage.
In PEM fuel cells, hydrogen (H2) is the anode reactant (i.e., fuel) and oxygen is the cathode reactant (i.e., oxidant). The oxygen can be either a pure form (O2), or air (a mixture of O2 and N2). The solid polymer electrolytes are typically made from ion exchange resins such as perfluoronated sulfonic acid. The anode/cathode typically comprises finely divided catalytic particles, which are often supported on carbon particles, and mixed with a proton conductive resin. The catalytic particles are typically costly precious metal particles. These membrane electrode assemblies are relatively expensive to manufacture and require certain conditions, including proper water management and humidification, and control of catalyst fouling constituents such as carbon monoxide (CO), for effective operation.
Examples of technology related to PEM and other related types of fuel cell systems can be found with reference to commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,578 to Witherspoon et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,017 to Swathirajan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,769 to Li et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,624 to Neutzler; U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,409 to DiPierno Bosco et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,513 to Swathirajan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,539 to Woods, III et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,376 to Fronk et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,111 to Mathias et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,521,381 to Vyas et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,736 to Sompalli et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,528,191 to Senner; U.S. Pat. No. 6,566,004 to Fly et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,260 to Forte et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,994 to Fly et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,740,433 to Senner; U.S. Pat. No. 6,777,120 to Nelson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,544 to Brady et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,794,068 to Rapaport et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,918 to Blunk et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,909 to Mathias et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004/0229087 to Senner et al.; 2005/0026012 to O'Hara; 2005/0026018 to O'Hara et al.; and 2005/0026523 to O'Hara et al., the entire specifications of all of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
A proton barrier is typically required at the electrode edge of a PEM fuel cell MEA to ensure resistance to membrane chemical degradation, as well as prevent gas diffusion media fiber penetration into any exposed areas of the membrane. Many structures have been considered for this purpose. Examples of these structures include: (1) with respect to the catalyst, edge portions of catalyst layers imbibed with a low viscosity polymer (e.g., such as 100% solids such as but not limited to epoxy, poly (dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS), phenolic, polyurethane, polyvinyl acetate, and alkyd resin) and/or use of a poison catalytic reaction, e.g., selectively poison to form a functional gradient (e.g., remove platinum from the catalyst at the edge); (2) with respect to the membrane, selective crosslink to tie up sulfonic acid (e.g., BA(OH)2 crosslink), selective desulfonation of a portion of the membrane adjacent to the edge portions of the catalyst layers, and/or selective sulfonation in the active area; (3) with respect to the subgasket (i.e., at the catalyst layer/membrane interface), use a hot-pressed 3 micrometer polyimide film, use an epoxy-bonded polymer film (e.g., b-stage epoxy on sides to allow bonding during hot-pressing), and/or use an inorganic layer such as an intermetallic compound or metallized layer (e.g., directly to the membrane or applied to the polymer film); with respect to the subgasket (i.e., at the diffusion medium/catalyst layer interface), use a solvent-screen print onto the diffusion medium (e.g., poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVDC)-poly (acrylonitrile) (PAN) copolymer), use hot melt films applied between the diffusion medium and the catalyst layer, and/or imbibing the catalyst layer; and (5) with respect to the subgasket (i.e., at the middle of the membrane), use a polyimide/perfluorocarbon sulfonic acid (PFSA) membrane bi-laminate and/or use a polyimide-reinforced membrane.
Unfortunately, these types of proton barrier structures are rather difficult and expensive to construct, and have not produced entirely satisfactory results. Accordingly, there exists a need for new and improved edge designs, especially for ePTFE-reinforced membranes for PEM fuel cells, wherein the designs provide a proton barrier at the electrode edge of the PEM fuel cell MEA to provide resistance to membrane chemical degradation.